what is Hypnosis? In hypnosis the subconscious mind is encouraged to be heard in a safe, supportive environment

What is Hypnosis? At Talking-Cure, clients often present with some fundamental misunderstandings of the process. Hypnotherapy and psychotherapy using hypnosis (Hypno-psychotherapy), are very safe, and often pleasant methods of dealing with issues such as smoking, depression, anxiety, weight loss and phobias or fears. Here I address some of the issues and dispel some of the more common misconceptions surrounding hypnosis:

One common mistake is the belief that hypnosis is caused by the ‘power’ of the hypnotherapist. This is simply not the case; the reality is that the hypnotist may direct the client’s experience, but only to the degree that the client allows it. Another is that only certain people can be hypnotised, again this is incorrect, there may be differences in response, but at Talking-Cure, I aim to make every client’s experience of hypnosis safe and pleasant.

You may have heard the myth that ‘anyone who can be hypnotised is weak minded’. All of us enter spontaneous states of hypnosis at times; it’s a perfectly natural occurrence, have you ever daydreamed? In fact, the client chooses whether to enter hypnosis, and indeed when. Once you have been in hypnosis, you can choose when and if you want to be there again.

The idea of saying or doing something against the will is something else that worries some clients. At Talking-Cure, the emphasis is on ethical and sensitive application of hypnosis. The UKCP and NSHP codes of ethical conduct are at the heart of this practice. It is important to ensure your therapist is fully qualified, as there are currently no regulations on hypnotherapy in the North West, or the UK as a whole.

Hypnosis, used properly by a qualified practitioner is a safe and effective method of aiding change, the goal is to encourage self-reliance and personal power, not dependence on the therapy, something which concerns some clients. Similarly, it is a myth that you can become ‘stuck in hypnosis’, the client controls the experience at all times, by choice.

In hypnotherapy, the client is not asleep; a level of awareness is ever-present. Even in deep hypnosis, the client remains oriented to the external environment to some degree, and therefore always safe and in control. At Talking-Cure I take these concerns very seriously, and if you have any questions just contact me, I’ll be more than happy to answer them.

Mental Health Matters. The key to subconscious healing lies in your own hands, my aim is to help you find it

Welcome to the first of my therapy blog posts, where I introduce myself and share a vision for the future of therapy, and how you use it.

I’m smiling widely today, and here’s why, Talking-Cure’s new website is live. Talking-Cure is my vision, and the result of a great deal of hard work. It’s different, and this is a different approach to therapy for the North West, have a look at the site and see why. Talking-cure is founded in quality training, and the level of Client service, I believe, is second to none. In this blog I’ll be dispelling myths, sharing information and bringing you my own take on mental health and finding solutions to your issues, because that’s what I do.

I have always believed that the world of psychology has a lot to share with people from all walks of life who, for one reason or another, may never see the inside of a treatment room. That there is a profession aimed at understanding and alleviating suffering of the mind is a constant source of inspiration to me but unfortunately, therapy can often be seen as a last resort, if a consideration at all. Having a positive impact on peoples’ lives is important not only in times of crisis, but all of the time.

So it was that Talking-Cure came about. After years in the cut and thrust of the business world, I saw a lot of casualties. Burn-out or breakdown, call it what you will, the end result was always similar from a human perspective and yet the machine still demanded to be fed. So I embarked on a mission to understand why and to see if I could make a difference, and what I found was that the challenges of the commercial world were not unlike those faced by everyone in today’s society. Anyone, from any generation can find that for whatever reason, ‘the world is too much for them’.

If we want to get physically fit we hire a personal trainer or go to the gym, we eat well, we watch our vices, it’s prevention rather than cure. So, why do we not extend that self-care to how we think and feel? It’s largely an issue of image, seeing a therapist is still not seen as what ‘we do’, but why? And more importantly, what are we missing out on?

I see mental health as being underpinned by mental fitness. We can improve our lives and how we feel by how we think, and thinking well is a skill we can learn like any other, with potential benefits in physical health, productivity and quality of life. The aim of this blog is to look at some of those elements of modern life that cause the most issues, informing you and hopefully helping.

The world that we have created is fast, demanding, competitive and at times unforgiving, yet we are not physiologically much different from our parents and their parents, who had to cope in far less challenging environments. Our children will face demands we probably can’t imagine. One thing we can do is lift our heads from the sand and use those advances in psychotherapy and the social sciences not when it all begins to fall apart, as a sticking plaster, but as a daily supplement to build fitter, stronger minds, more robust coping mechanisms and improve our lives.